Dodge Caliber test drive since 2006 hatchback

All photos Dodge Caliber since 2006

We test the strange Dodge Caliber

The work is different. Someone gets coal, someone stands at the machine, but Maxim Gryvtsov works a passenger. He seems to be the first professional passenger of a car in Russia. And today he assesses the new creation of the American autopram Dodge Caliber. I must say that Caliber made an ambiguous impression on the test group [email protected]. But our passenger had his own opinion that no one could take away from him.

Why did you all dig into this rigid plastic in the cabin? You might think that the car consists only of it. Yes, I agree, the insides are sheathed with plastic. But believe me, a person with great passenger experience, this is all nonsense. Firstly, I got the impression that the plastic in Caliber is quite high quality. And, secondly, the design of the salon is very interesting.

But this is not the main advantage of Caliber. It is more important that it is pleasant to go in it. Thanks to the stranded variator, which does not switch the gears at all, the car accelerates very smoothly, and there are no jerks and twitching here in principle. Any passenger will like this even after several hours in the car, I am completely not tired. In addition to the excellent work of the transmission, the suspension has deserved praise, in fact, I love American cars for a smooth move. Caliber calmly passes through pits and potholes, without shaking all the insides. And let some driver of a sports German compartment say that I am wrong, and Caliber does not keep the trajectory in quick turns in the best way. And I will answer me do not care. Caliber is just excellent for the passenger.

Although there are also disadvantages. For example, for a completely incomprehensible reason to adjust the angle of inclination of the chair, you need without rotating the usual circle or pressing the electric drive buttons. Here, to configure the chair, you must first raise the lever on the side of yourself, and then with your back or with your back or with your second hand to configure the optimal angle of inclination. People, change your mind, we live in the 21st century! A similar chart of the chaplain settings is inconvenient. Another incomprehensible miscalculation was found in the back seat. If there are three, the loser, who turned out to be in the middle, will be somewhat surprised by the presence right under the feet of the cup holders. Usually they are sliding, but in this case they were made eternal, and they simply interfere with passengers!

But what impression does Dodge Caliber make on others! It is difficult to say whether people will react just as violently to this car in a year or two, because the car fashion is very fleeting. But while they stare at Caliber, show a finger, they are constantly trying to talk to you. So Dodge Caliber fulfills its main task perfectly. Especially if you come to the picnic, open the trunk and hit all with two huge speakers that make a pretty decent sound. In general, believe me, Caliber is a great show car. Thanks to the design decent for its class, it looks very cool and aggressive for its class and a large road clearance. Class!.

But Denis Smolyanov and Dmitry Gaidukevich were not everyone in such a puppy delight from Dodge Caliber. Although first you need to decide on the competitors of this car. Representatives of Dodge themselves say that Caliber performs in a golf class. And in principle, this is so. However, the main difference between Caliber and other class C cars according to European classification is not only in unusual forms, but also in a large road lumen. Still, because it is 195 mm. No less than most of the so -called city SUVs. Yes, and Caliber could be called such, if he had all -wheel drive. Alas, it is absent in Europe, although Caliber 4x4 in the United States is very well sold. Therefore, formally, Caliber has no analogues in the European market.

You were interested in how much it costs? We answer the simplest car with a 1.8-liter engine with a capacity of 149 hp. It will cost 17 800. It sounds good for this almost SUV, but 17,800 not dollars, but euro! And in bucks it is already 22,500! Yes, for this money in the car there will be everything you need, including condo, electric drives of glasses and mirrors, music, ABS, 4 pillows, etc., but $ 22,500 is still the amount. Moreover, the basic equipment of this American car goes with mechanics. If you want to have the right American car, then you need to take Caliber with a machine gun (or rather, with a variator) and a 2.0-liter engine with a capacity of 156 hp. And this is at least 20,900 euros. Or $ 26 300! That is, for a more powerful motor and variator, you need to pay as much as $ 3,800. Decent. A car with a leather salon, sophisticated music with two columns at the trunk door, fog -tunnel, heated seats, metallic color will cost even more than 23,563 euros or $ 29,700.

In general, it is clear that Caliber really has enough competitors, because for $ 26 thousand. You can find many golf class cars with a fairly powerful engine. Of course, they will not have a large road clearance (this is a huge force of Caliber), but there will be an interesting design. After all, for example, Honda Civic in the back of the hatchback or Citroen C4 look very interesting. Moreover, for $ 26 thousand, you can already buy cars of a larger class D: Ford Mondeo, Mazda6, Nissan Primera, Opel Vectra, and so on.

So what can Caliber surprise? Well, about the fact that this car makes the right impression on others, you can not talk. The car looks much more than it really is, its design is very unusual. And Caliber will remain a fashionable car for a long time, especially with proprietary music for parties in nature.

Naturally, in the standings of Caliber, a large road clearance. This is not just a plus, but a huge plus, for which a lot can be forgiven for a car. After all, at the wheel of Caliber in the city you can behave just as if you were sitting in an SUV. And if you also take into account the soft suspension, you can understand that the pardon, broken tram rails, curbies or snowdrifts can not be afraid here! And do not say that a large road clearance is trifles. Only such a statement can do anything like this who has never traveled on an SUV (and the clearance here, recall, is the same as most SUVs - 195 mm.).

You can also note a decent engine, the power of which is quite enough, as well as a variator with the possibility of manual switching. He makes a ride on Caliber very pleasant, especially when you are in no hurry. And the suspension here is also tuned to comfort for the city, it is almost perfect.

There are shortcomings. For example, Caliber is not in the best way to quickly drive, although this is typical for all Americans without exception (even two -door coupes there are primarily tuned for comfort, and not to pass the ring track). It does not increase the rating and the plastic salon (it seems that a lot has already been said about it), as well as the lack of illumination in cosmetic mirrors for the driver and passenger - it seems that in the car worth more than $ 20 thousand. Such a trifle should be. Although in short, the salon should be noted one big advantage of Caliber, which is revealed only when you are hungry. Sitting in this car to eat quite conveniently, especially food from the American restaurant known to all.

But in the end, if you think exclusively with logic, it seems that Dodge Caliber should be cheaper! Now, if the price were not indicated in the euro, which spoils the life of many automakers in Russia, but in dollars, then everything would be just super. For $ 17,800 (or $ 20,900 per version with a variator) a car with such a high road clearance would be very popular, because the same Ford Fusion with a relatively large road clearance in good configuration costs about $ 18 thousand. But in euros this is not like that is not like that anymore Sweet price. Therefore, the editors of [email protected] requires that the price tag is set in dollars (by the way, in the United States Caliber costs from $ 14,135).

Or we offer a compromise option to put an all -wheel drive on the car, while without touching the price. But, I think, these are all unrealistic dreams. It's a pity. Although it should be noted that Caliber is now disassembled very well. And thanks to road clearance and excellent design, it will be bought in the near future. After all, the stylish appearance of the car is very important, and many are ready to pay for it. To make sure of this, you can look at at least a situation with Honda Civic a fantastic hatchback costs $ 24 thousand, although the non-actual sedan of the same model is sold for $ 19 thousand. That is, it turns out that the Civic design in the hatchback costs $ 5 thousand .